About a year ago, I was diagnosed with lupus. While I know that I am lucky in many respects, my energy-level has never bounced back and now my joint pain has become less responsive to my present medication. I am now looking into some alternative therapies to augment my pills, hoping that I can stave off filling my body with even more meds (I have 2 other chronic conditions) - at least for now.

In addition to figuring out the health side of lupus, however, I have also been trying to figure out the employment side. I have spent a number of years preparing for a career that I can no longer pursue, because I simply cannot put in the hours or manage the stress that it inherently requires. I still, however, want to find a way to contribute - both for monetary reasons and for personal ones. I am presently working part-time in that same field, but am not earning enough money (my boyfriend has to pay all the bills) and am left with very boring work.

Do any of you have stories about how you've found new careers after your diagnoses? Or, how you have managed to mold your jobs to your new health requirements? I am not looking for answers, really, just inspiration. I have started to wonder if it is impossible to find a meaningful employment life under these new set of rules.

Also, for those of you with children (which I don't yet have, but plan on having in a few years), do you think it's impossible to combine that with work when you have lupus? Was even part-time work simply too draining?